Master 2019/2020

Theoretical Models and Methods in Language Description

Category 'Best Course for Career Development'

Category 'Best Course for Broadening Horizons and Diversity of Knowledge and Skills'

Category 'Best Course for New Knowledge and Skills'

Type: Compulsory course (Linguistic Theory and Language Description)

Area of studies: Fundamental and Applied Linguistics

Delivered by: School of Linguistics

Where: Faculty of Humanities

When: 1 year, 3, 4 module

Mode of studies: offline

Instructors: Natalia Ivlieva, George Moroz, Alexander Piperski, Inna Sieber, Anna A. Volkova

Master’s programme: Linguistic Theory and Language Description

Language: English

ECTS credits: 8

Contact hours: 76

Course Syllabus

Abstract

The course is compulsory for the students of the MA program Linguistic theory and language description (NRU HSE). The aim of the course is to introduce the students to a variety of theoretical models employed in some major domains of linguistic inquiry, such as phonetics, phonology, syntax, semantics, pragmatics and corpus linguistics. The course is therefore divided into modules devoted to these domains. Each module is taught by a lecturer/lecturers, specializing in the corresponding domain.

Learning Objectives

• The course continues for two years. This programme is for the 1-st pars or the course and covers such themes as: instrumental phonetics and phonology, formal semantics and pragmatics and formal syntax (the Case Theory).
• The course is not introductive and requires basic kniwledge of linguistic theory and articulatory phonetics.
• This course familiarizes the students with the theoretical models and methods currently employed in various areas of language description and linguistic theorizing.

Expected Learning Outcomes

• The students are able to apply the main ideas of IP in their researches
• the students are able to apply the main ideas of FP to their researches
• the students are able to reproduce the main ideas of the Case theory
• The students are able to apply the main ideas of the CT to their researches.
• The students are able to apply the main ideas of FS to their researches
• the students are able to interpret transcriptions and write them

Course Contents

• Instrumental phonetics and Phonology
• Formal syntax: Сase Theories
• Formal semantics
• Formal Pragmatics: Scalar Implicatures and Pragmatics of Disjunction

Assessment Elements

• homeworkPH
  The students may repass the homework without penalty no later than 7 days before exam. The task is the same.
• quizCT
  The students may repass the quiz without penalty no later than 7 days before exam. The questions are the same, but the order of possible answers is not..
• homework CT
  The students may repass the homework without penalty no later than 7 days before exam. The task is the same.
• homeworkFP
  The students may repass the homework without penalty no later than 7 days before exam. The task is the same.
• homeworkFS
  The students may repass the homework without penalty no later than 7 days before exam. The task is the same.

Interim Assessment

• Interim assessment (3 module)
  0.2 * homework CT + 0.7 * homeworkPH + 0.1 * quizCT
• Interim assessment (4 module)
  0.15 * homeworkFP + 0.15 * homeworkFS + 0.7 * Interim assessment (3 module)

Bibliography

Recommended Core Bibliography

• Paul H. Portner, & Barbara H. Partee. (2008). Formal Semantics : The Essential Readings. [N.p.]: Wiley-Blackwell. Retrieved from http://search.ebscohost.com/login.aspx?direct=true&site=eds-live&db=edsebk&AN=231496

Recommended Additional Bibliography

• Gussenhoven, C. (2004). The Phonology of Tone and Intonation. Cambridge: Cambridge University Press. Retrieved from http://search.ebscohost.com/login.aspx?direct=true&site=eds-live&db=edsebk&AN=164285